NEWS STORY
RNS-SBC-Lawyer: Southern Baptist legal counsel to cut ties after vote to waive privilege
(RNS) — The long-time legal counsel for the nation’s largest Protestant denomination has cut ties with the denomination, after Baptist leaders decided to waive attorney client privilege in an abuse investigation. By Bob Smietana. 670 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Serra-Protesters: One year later, advocates pressure for charges to be dropped in toppling of Serra statue
(RNS) — It’s been a year since protesters on Indigenous Peoples Day toppled the Junipero Serra statue in San Rafael, just north of San Francisco. Five people have been criminally charged since then, at the urging of San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, and will now face a court on Oct. 15. Today, supporters are holding a press conference for the “Indigenous Peoples 5,” urging for the charges to be dropped. Press conference is at 10 a.m. pacific. By Alejandra Molina. 650 words. (category: a)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-JW-Russia: Russian Jehovah’s Witness sentenced to over four years in prison for his faith
(RNS) — On Monday (Oct. 11), a Jehovah’s Witness was convicted and sentenced to prison for practicing his faith in Russia, where the religion is considered an extremist group. Vladimir Skachidub, 59, was sentenced to four years and two months by the Pavlovsky District Court of Krasnodar Territory. By Jessica Mundie. 416 Words. (category i)
NEWS STORY
RNS-DuVernay-SweetHome: Ava DuVernay takes viewers inside homes of different faiths in ‘Home Sweet Home’
(RNS) — Filmmaker Ava DuVernay gets families to venture into places many have never gone before — the homes of people of a different religious or racial group — through her new docuseries “Home Sweet Home.” By Emily McFarlan Miller and Adelle M. Banks. 750 words. (category: a)
NEWS STORY
RNS-Bruce-Cockburn: ‘Hey, isn’t that—?’ Singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn goes incognito in worship band
(RNS) — Known for a string of moody folk-rock Billboard 100 hits from the 1980s and his stints playing with The Grateful Dead, Cockburn joined his new church’s worship band and in May released four songs he’d written as a fundraiser for the church’s programs to assist homeless people and combat human trafficking. By John Longhurst. 638 words. (category: a)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Pope-Pelosi: Pope Francis meets with US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the Vatican
(RNS) — Pope Francis welcomed U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to the Vatican on Saturday (Oct. 9), as she arrived in Rome for a gathering of legislative leaders of G20 countries ahead of the U.N. Climate Change Summit in Scotland later this month. “It was a spiritual, personal and official honor to have an audience with His Holiness Pope Francis this morning,” the speaker said in a statement. By Paul O’Donnell. 469 words. (category: i)
NEWS BRIEF
RNS-Vatican-Ambassador: Biden to nominate Joseph Donnelly as Vatican ambassador
WASHINGTON (RNS) — President Joe Biden has announced his intention to nominate former lawmaker and anti-abortion Democrat Joseph Donnelly to serve as his Vatican ambassador. Donnelly, a Catholic lawyer, served as one of Indiana’s U.S. senators from 2013 to 2019 and as a House member from 2007 to 2013. By Jack Jenkins. 485 words. (category: a)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Suleiman-Oped: The last casualty of 9/11: Speaking up for Muslim political prisoners
(RNS) — Twenty years removed from 9/11, yet still living in a post-9/11 reality, many young Muslims wonder why so many high-profile Muslim political prisoners haven’t gotten the full support of their community or human rights advocates. Many of us are tired of the intimidation and selective targeting that has silenced organizations, harassed activists at airports and held prisoners without fair trials. By Omar Suleiman. 1,030 words. (category: k)
COMMENTARY
RNS-Kipp-Magid-Ralph-Oped: For Natives, land is sacred. Why aren’t we protecting their religious freedom?
(RNS) — For Natives, the land is the connection to spirituality and a critical part of rituals and practices, and, today, there is a long list of failed attempts to protect Indigenous sacred land through policy and litigation. If we aren’t able to expand our understanding of religion and get clear on who we are protecting, we will continue to leave people and communities behind. By Billie Jo Kipp, Mohamed Magid and Allison K. Ralph. 872 words. (category: k)
